Then things got busy, and Ethel has been sitting around in just her underwear since then. She hasn't complained as such, but the look on her face speaks volumes.

Happily, my friend and collaborator John Mullarkey threw me a sewing challenge. He has a long-delayed shirt that needs to be finished. I have a doll who is threatening to telephone the ASPCD and turn me in for neglect. Let's cheer each other along, he said. Fine, I said. So out came the needles and thread.

We began well.

I want to sew something reasonably appropriate–with two disclaimers.

First, I'm not producing miniature clothing (i.e. correct in all aspects, perfectly to scale). I'm making a dress for a doll, rather as Ethel's original owner might have. (Serious Doll People will recoil. With no disrespect to them, I am not a Serious Doll Person.)

Second, for this project I'm not fussing and fretting over perfect period (c. 1900) detail. Ethel probably "should" be in a shirtwaist with pin tucks and certain other details,

but I know myself well enough to understand that if I begin this project with research, I'll never cut anything out. I will bog down, debate, and prevaricate. This is supposed to be a sewing exercise, not a trip to the library.

And I don't especially feel like sewing a shirtwaist. This dress is largely an excuse to make more thread lace (probably tatted and knitted) and stick it on something.

Anyhow, I drafted the bodice and sleeves (yes, I use paper towels) and felt pretty good about the results. Flat pattern making is new ground for me.

Then, after a deep breath, sewing.

I enjoy hand sewing, but most of my training was under the stern eye of my late grandmother. She was a tailor. When I helped her I was usually working on tailored clothing, so there are certain weird gaps in my education–like gathering. Not a lot of gathers in man's suit. Ethel's full sleeve caps require gathering.

I swore a lot, but I finished the sleeve cap and it didn't look half bad. After a day off, I sat down with second sleeve. Marked, gathered, pinned. Sewed.

It was so much easier the second time! About forty minutes from start to finish, and so uneventful that I actually thought as I made the last few stitches, "Well, so much for having an amusing tale to post on the blog." Because you know, projects that go well are never funny.

I clipped the final thread, turned the piece right-side out, and realized I had sewn the second sleeve into the same armscye as the first sleeve.

I sewed two sleeves into the same armscye.

And didn't realize it until I was finished.

You really can't fudge that with ironing.

Rip, rip, rip.

We are in a better place now, but Ethel is still giving me That Look.

She sure throws a lot of attitude for somebody who was fished out of a junk tray at a flea market.

99 comments:

Ethel has the well-honed and unerringly unimpressed look of my grandma and great-aunts, and their sisters-in-law, all born around 1910, and used to witnessing remarkable events. As we've met, you'll be unsurprised to know that they were of similar general build to Ethel... Well done on the frock. Haven't sewn two sleeves into the same armhole yet, but I've sewn the lining wrong-side-out into a multiplicity of garments...

I absolutely loved this story. Plus, I finally figured out of whom Ethel remindes me. She has the same look on her face that my Grandma Ruth would get when she wasn't winning at bingo. It was a look that would set me off in a giggle fit. Thank you for reminding me of a great memory.

Franklin, you really are amazing. I could knit tedious, difficult lace all day, but I'd rather poke myself in the eye than sew said lace onto anything. Or sew a hem, for that matter. Also, Ethel has some serious RBF going on there. Don't take it personally.

Not EXACTLY a Serious Doll Person (almost) but I'm pretty sure all china headed dolls had child-like bodies, ie, flat chests/no hips. Even the very elaborate French lady dolls that were dressed as adults had children's bodies. We didn't get into real bosoms, waists and hips until Barbie. There are various opinions about that.

If you MUST make a knitted or tatted collar, thinking a al Zimmerman's grandma that crochet is for servants, can she please please please have a crocheted shawl for gardening or other dirty work? Not that a real lady would DO dirty work, but she might occasionally pot an orchid, mightn't she? An orchid potting shawl in crochet......

Love this project. Having sewn many similar mistakes, I can say it's par for the course around here. You learn from mistakes right?You bettcha, right up until you make an even more frustrating "duh" forehead slapping mistake the next time you get on a roll.

I recognize Ethel's face, too. I see it in the mirror when I wear my hair pulled back, complete with red cheeks, in a look I like to call "19th Century German Immigrant Housewife." I come by it honestly. having much German ancestry on both sides of the family. Perhaps now I'll call the look "Ethel," (also the name of a great-aunt on my mother's side.)

I haven't ever done two sleeves in the same armscye. I have managed to sew the right one to the left one (not a concern for doll sleeves) and of course there's the good old right side to wrong side trick. Ethel looks lovely in her dress.

See, that's how my sewing projects usually go, too. Rip, rip, rip. My husband gets this resigned look of dread on his face every time I pull out the machine. I can't imagine that he'd have a better reaction to the thought of me hand-sewing - it's just a longer time for me to get annoyed. The sad thing is, I actually do enjoy being able to sew stuff. I just never seem to have the time to focus on doing the quality work I expect of myself. (The result naturally being that I take even longer because I have to do stuff twice...at least.)

My mother once cut out two left legs for my brother's trousers. Blessing the fact that she had plenty of material, she cut another leg - but lo and behold - (no wonder she doesn't sew any more). Also, though not on sewing, my grandmother was once knitting a sock while watching TV. She knitted the heel, knitted the foot and turned another heel, and was half way up the foot again before she noticed. My grandfather said he hadn't told her because he wanted to see if she would turn the third heel.

Um, I know you're a knitter rather than a sewer (person who sews, not the sewage pipe!) Franklin, but srsly, how does someone sew two sleeves into the same armhole? Particularly gathered sleeves. Didn't the gathers on the first sleeve get in the way even slightly?

Ok, so I've been sewing since I was a kid - a kid who was taller, with longer arms and legs than everyone else. I had to learn to sew to get things long enough. Ditto with knitting! Have you ever sew two sleeves into the same armhole in a knitted garment? Or do you always knit them in one piece?

I always tell people I sew "religiously" as in "As you sew, sew shall you rip." I have never escaped sewing anything without having to rip part and do it again. I often have to rip knitting as well, but I mind it so much less!

I think Ethel has a look on her face that is NEVER going to be pleased with anything you do--ever. That look of displeasure on her face looks too much like the adults that haunted my childhood!

I think Ethel's disgruntled look is because she wanted either a.) something from Versace cotoure or b.) something custom from Van Cleef and Arpels. She may prove to be even higher maintenance than Delores. . . !

Ha, as an apprantice says in Germany: "Meister, ich bin fertig. Darf ich auftrennen? ("Master, I am finished. May I rip?"). I got this remark from granny and mommy. My daughter gets it from me...... We still are a needlework family - you never know.

Thank you for bringing me back to the tragic day in 1978 when I sewed the front of my trouser waistband securely, oh! how securely, to the back of the waistband. Some cherce woids were spoke that day, I can tell ya.

Thank you, Franklin, for the morning laugh. Pride=fall, eh?My darling, late mum was a tailor (the inside had to look as good as the outside and I'm still the pickiest shopper on the planet) and her name was Ethel. She, however, had lovely brown hair and a smile that went to the grave. She would suggest that your Ethel might look like she does as she would be corseted and corsets don't allow much room for sweetness and light.

Simple sleeve gathering as taught in High School freshman Home Ec. sewing: On sleeve cap, Baste a line of stitches 5/8 inch from edge of cut piece leaving long threads (3-4 inches)at beginning and end of stitches. Baste another line of stitches 1/2 inch from edge, again leaving long threads. Using the thread tails at each end to carefully pull and create gathers. Gently even out gathers until you have a nicely rounded sleeve cap. Adjust as need to fit sleeve cap into top armhole. Pine and stitch in place. For your project you could probably get away with a single line of basting. Do it inside the seam so your basting doesn't show when you sew the sleeve in.Good luck.

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I love your blog and reading about all your antics. This one amused me to no end! It was so kind of you to rescue Ethel from certain demise. You are truly a man of honor. Perhaps someday she will bless you with a small smile for all your efforts.

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